The Young Girls of Rochefort (original title: Les demoiselles de Rochefort) is a 1967 French musical, comedy, drama written and directed by Jacques Demy, with original music by Michel Legrand.

Jacques Demy followed up The Umbrellas of Cherbourg with another musical about missed connections and second chances, this one a more effervescent confection. Twins Delphine and Solange, a dance instructor and a music teacher (played by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac), long for big-city life; when a fair comes through their quiet port town, so does the possibility of escape. With its jazzy Michel Legrand score, pastel paradise of costumes, and divine supporting cast (George Chakiris, Grover Dale, Danielle Darrieux, Michel Piccoli, and Gene Kelly), Les demoiselles de Rochefort is a tribute to Hollywood optimism from sixties French cinema’s preeminent dreamer.

February 26th – Diabolique – Henri-Georges Clouzot (1955) – 1h 57min

Diabolique (original title: Les diaboliques) is a 1955 French psychological thriller film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and written by Clouzot and Jérôme Géronimi.

Based on the novel Celle qui n’était plus by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, Les diaboliques shocked audiences in Europe and the U.S.. The story of two women—the fragile wife (Véra Clouzot) and the willful mistress (Simone Signoret) of the sadistic headmaster (Paul Meurisse) of a boys’ boarding school—who hatch a daring revenge plot. With its unprecedented narrative twists and terrifying images, Les diaboliques is a heart-grabbing benchmark in horror filmmaking, featuring outstanding performances by Signoret, Clouzot, and Meurisse.

The Story of Adele H (original title: L’histoire d’Adèle H.) is a 1975 French historical drama film directed by François Truffaut, and written by Truffaut, Jean Gruault, Suzanne Schiffman.

Adèle Hugo (Isabelle Adjani), daughter of renowned French writer Victor Hugo, falls in love with British soldier Albert Pinson (Bruce Robinson) while living in exile off the coast of England. Though he spurns her affections, she follows him to Nova Scotia and takes on the alias of Adèle Lewly. Albert continues to reject her, but she remains obsessive in her quest to win him over. When Albert is stationed in the West Indies, Adèle once again trails him, furthering her downward spiral. The story is based on Adèle Hugo’s diaries. It was filmed on location in Guernsey, Barbados, and Senegal.

April 30th – Rust and Bone – Jacques Audiard (2012) – 2h

Rust and Bone (original title: De rouille et d’os) is a 2012 French-Belgian romantic drama film directed by Jacques Audiard. Based on Craig Davidson’s short story collection Rust and Bone: Stories, the film was written by Audiard and Thomas Bidegain.

Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), a former boxer and single father, meets Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) when he saves her from a brawl at the nightclub where he works as a bouncer. Their casual acquaintance develops into something much more after Stephanie, who trains killer whales at a marine park, suffers a horrible accident and loses both her legs above the knee. As Stephanie draws on Ali’s physical strength, an unexpected courtship slowly comes to life.

A Very Long Engagement (original title: Un long dimanche de fiançailles) is a 2004 French romantic war film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Based on Sébastien Japrisot’s 1991 novel of the same name, the film was co-written by Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant.

Mathilde (Audrey Tautou) is told that her fiancé (Gaspard Ulliel) has been killed in World War I. She refuses to believe this, however, and begins trying to find out what actually happened on the battlefield the night he was supposedly killed, enlisting the help of a private investigator. During her search, she stumbles across evidence of the inhumane and morally bankrupt system used by the French to deal with deserters, and hears from other men who were sentenced to extreme punishment.